Kat's 9 Lives

Roasting Water has been one of my favorite new go to milk tea places because of their awesomely cute/beautiful bottles! It's become one of my hobbies to get my drinks with the special glass and many places have started this trend.  The best thing about Roasting Water is that all their drinks come in their bottles.  There's no extra charge and the prices are very reasonable.

Many people have been anticipating the Hello Kitty Cafe opening at Irvine Spectrum.  It's literally just a container with a few tables and some sweet treats plus drinks.  Beware : They tend to run out of items quite quickly and the lines can be long.  I even went about 1 hr after they opened and a bunch of items were already out.  My pal really wanted the Birthday Cake and it was sold out.  I wanted the Macarons and of course they were gone too.

What else could one need but a beautifully designed cup of cappuccino?  Gourmet Pigs mentioned that Ogawa Cafe was a great place to try in Boston and I saw some cute photos online.  Not quite as cute as Love To Go in Los Angeles.  Although I do enjoy the cute coincidence that they are on Milk Street, which seemed very fitting.

This is my first time in Massachusetts and we took a trip to the Berkshires.  We stayed in a bed and breakfast inn for the night.  On our way back to Boston, Gourmet Pigs wanted to visit a local distillery and they recommended Rubi's Coffee & Sandwiches. Be sure to keep an eye out for this location as it is tucked away behind their market.  It can easily be missed, so if you can find their market then they can direct you to the right place.
The Grilled Cheese with comte grilled on pullman was nicely grilled on the outside but lacked a little oomph for me.  I like stronger cheeses and taste.  The comte they used was very light and subtle that is almost drowned out by the bread.  This was definitely too bland for me.  They should consider adding another stronger cheese to add flavor or a more aged comte.
We decided to share two sandwiches.  I wish I looked closely at the other board that had a grilled cheese with beef.  For the other sandwich we chose the Alpine with alpine cheese, cornichons, and dijon mustard on pullman.  This grilled cheese sandwich was much more flavorful and very tangy.  The cornichons added a nice crunch and made me shiver a little from the sourness.  I thought this sandwich was much better but I am not sure if it was really worth the price difference.  The regular sandwich was $5.50 and this one was $9.50.  It's definitely not that much better to be double the price.  Honestly, I would just buy all the ingredients from their adjacent market and make it myself as it would be much cheesier and tastier.
They offer a wide variety of baked goods that looked very tempting.  The cookies were nice and plump for about $2.50 each.  I thought the cookies were not bad but I like the inside to be a bit more soft and chewy on the outside.  This could also be that we ate it the next day since we were filling up on goodies all the way back to Boston.  I think I was also spoiled by the cookie I had at Ame's Street Deli in Boston.
I got the corn muffin as well because I was craving corn bread.  To be honest... I haven't even eaten it yet because I bought so many goodies from Boston! lol  It looked tasty.
As a picker upper, we both tried their fresh brewed coffee.  I decided to have the macchiato for that extra punch.  The coffee was strong but be warned about adding too much sugar.  I overestimated how many spoons and made my drink super sweet.  Luckily Gourmet Pigs had coffee and we ended up trying to blend the two drinks to even out the sweetness.  =D
All in all it was a cute place and I am glad we got to try it.  As for price point, I guess it isn't surprising for a tourist area.  Personally I like their store much better and would definitely shop there!

Rubi's Coffee & Sandwiches
256 Main St,
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-0488

The place was packed to the brim.  Even though it is already brisk outside, it does not stop patrons from coming by for a quick bite or drink.  They offer two types of caramel, burnt or salty.  I decided to get their infamous B3 (Brown Butter, Brown Sugar, Brownies) and one of the caramels.  Can we say sugar overload? lol
There were many delectable flavors to choose from.  I couldn't decide and due to the limited time, I had to maximize the visit.  The staff was friendly and I tried a bunch of flavors.  There was one that was totally named for me that I was tempted to get but so many choices! lol The Black Kat pictured above was very tasty and chocolatey.  Later I realized that it was a Kit Kat bit inside to give the extra oomph and bite.
All in all the texture was very smooth and Toscanini's had a lot of fun tasty flavors.  It was too bad that there was no space for us to sit and relax in the cold winter night.  The ambiance was very hip and a great place for friends to hang out.

Toscanini's Ice Cream
899 Main St,
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 491-5877

On my first visit, I decided to try the chocolate covered waffles.  They have a variety to choose from and they all looked very delectable.
The waffle was crisp and had a nice bite.  They have just the right amount of chocolate coating.  The taste was light and could be dangerous as you may not realize how much you have eaten until it is too late. lol
For my first 3D Latte Art, I chose a bear and a kitty.  For the drink, we chose the Matcha Latte and Espresso Latte.
As for the matcha, it was a little bit sweeter.  You can taste the sweetness more as the drink cools down, which should not be a problem because we took our sweet time taking thousands of photos!
Many people have no discovered this place and I feel like they have had more practice with the 3D artwork and it is getting cuter and cuter.
When I first went, they did a good job too but I feel like the animals are shaped more precisely and have a cuter expression.  It could also be who was making it of course.  On my most recent trip we got a bear, dog, and pig.  They were all super cute! Even though my dog was deflating, they were all very adorable.  =)
If you look at my photos of the interior, you will see that no one was there and we had the whole place to ourselves.  This really worked in our favor so that we can freely look like dorks and take our photos with our super cute drinks and snacks.
Besides the lattes, we decided to try their Signature Italian Soda with Yogurt and Fruit.  They recommended the pineapple flavor.
To be honest, I didn't like the taste of this drink.  It sounded like an interesting combination but it didn't come together for me.  Maybe it is the tangy flavor of the pineapple that didn't go well with the yogurt.
It could just be me, but I wouldn't be inclined to get the Italian soda again.  I'd definitely stick to the 3D art for fun.  The staff here are very sweet.  It is a very small and cozy place.  They have a section for live music but I have not seen anyone play there just yet.  I would say that people can come here and have the place all to themselves, but as I have seen recently the secret is out and the whole place was packed when we went.  Due to its rising popularity, the prices have gone up a lot too.  When I went in September last year, the 3D Latte Art was only $4 but now it is around $6 plus tax.  The drinks are just so-so but the drinks are undeniably cute =).
Love To Go
307 S Mission Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776  
(626) 264-8195

I have heard so many great things about Portola Coffee Lab, yet I have never been to the actual place nor did I even know where it was located.  Unfortunately my first experience with Portola Coffee Lab was at The Playground and it was not a great experience.  At first I had written them off because of the horrid experience, but as always I try to keep an open mind as I never had it from the source.
Thanks to Katie and Mike (Eating My Way Through OC), we were out on one of our foodie adventures  and added a few stops along the way.  She had been dying to try Portola Coffee Lab and I was completely on board to join the fun =).
Finding the place was a maze in itself.  We went on a Sunday and the place was desolate.  I guess most of the businesses around here are only open on the weekdays or closed early.  There were a few places that we would have liked to try on another trip when they are open.
This was the last place we visited after a full meal so there wasn't much stomach room to try out their delectable pastries.  Their cases offered a wide variety of both savory and sweet treats.  They definitely looked worthy of a return trip.
I really enjoyed all the eclectic and inspiring coffee concoctions.  It almost feels like you have stepped into Dr. Frankenstein's science laboratory.  Coffee is not just made here but "created".  The mad scientists laboratory was just so well lit that it was almost like a moth to a flame that I kept staring at the equipment.

Portola Coffee Lab is definitely not your ordinary coffee place.  I spoke to the manager and mentioned my past experience and he sincerely voiced his concern, which made me feel like that they really do care about the quality of their coffee and not just about selling the coffee.
Although they are known for their coffee, I felt like a Mocha instead.  It is made with their housemade Belgian Chocolate Ganache and you can have it either hot or cold.  The chocolate was thick and rich.  For those who don't really like overly sweet drinks, then this would be good for you.
Katie and Mike decided to go with their teas that are brewed in their special Trifecta brewer.  The tea was light and refreshing.  Personally I prefer my teas a lot sweeter but that can always be rectified by adding more sugar.  I thought the tea was a good balance of flavor and a subtle aromatic taste that doesn't overpower the tastebuds.
All in all this was a much better experience than my first drink.  There are a few more places at the OC Mart Mix that I would like to come and try so I will definitely be back and stop by for a drink! They also offer free wi-fi for patrons to use.  A nice place to chit chat with friends over a good drink.
Portola Coffee Lab
3313 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(949) 284-0596